Improvement in water-elevators for wells



at. I

- UNITED STATES PATENT EETCE.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-ELEVATORS FOR WELLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 56,553, dated July 24,1866.

To all whom t may concern;

Be it known that I, CHRISTOPHER GULL- MANN, ofPoughkeepsie, in thecounty of Dutchess and State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Vell Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to the means for operating and controlling themotion of the bucket and for Ventilating the well. The water is raisedby a bucket, which latter, after being emptied according to any approvedmethod, is allowed to return by gravity at a considerable velocity 5 butthe velocity is checked by my apparatus so as to not become destructive.A portion or the whole of the power developed by the descent of thebucket may be employed to exchange the air in the well, substitutingfresh air from above for that previously stagnant.

I will proceed, first, to describe what I consider the best means ofcarrying out my invention, and will afterward designate the points whichI claim as new.

.i The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification.

Figure l is a plan view of my apparatus. Fig. 2 is a side view of thesame, partly in section, showing the well and its relation thereto.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thegures.

The tints are employed merely to distinguish the parts, and do notnecessarily imply difference in material.

The material may be of hard wood and wrought and cast iron, galvanized.painted,

or otherwise preserved from oxidation.

A A are the walls of the well, and B the surface of the water therein. Gis a nxed framing of wood, forming a curb of any approved style, whichwill afford sufficient height and stability to support my apparatus. Dis a shaft, and d an ordinary handle or winch by which the shaft D maybe turned. E is a lever pivoted to thecurb at the point e, and adaptedto be easily shifted by hand within the limits required. G is a sleeve,which is operated by the lever E axially. It loosely surrounds the shaftD.

H is a clutch fixed on the shaft D at the point represented, andprovided with teeth which lock into a corresponding notch on the end ofthe sleeve G whenever the said sleeve is moved toward the winch d. G isa beveled gear-wheel fixed on the opposite end of the sleeve G, andarranged to mesh into a gearwheel,I,whenever the sleeve G is moved fromthe winch d.

The bevel-gear wheel I is iixed on the hollow spindle t', which ismounted in a perpendicular position, as represented, immediately overand so that its interior shall communicate with the pipe J, which leadsdown into the well.

The hollow spindle i above the shaft D is branched, and provided withmouths which open tan gentially, as indicated by t. Above this point thespindle I is solid instead of hollow, and is cranked, as represented byi2..

Mis a connection extending from this crank t2 to a suitable crank-pin orconnecting-pivot, 7c, on a wheel K. Y

The distance of the pivot It from the center or shaft of the wheel K isgreater than the diameter of the crank t2, consequently the completerevolutions of the crank i2 result in im-l parting a vibrating oroscillating motion of the wheel K.

To operate my invention the bucket, after being emptied, is released bymoving the lever E, and thus shifting the sleeve G axially on the shaftD, so as to disconnect it from the coupling H, and connect it, by meansof the beveled gear-wheels G and I, with the hollow spindle t'. I n thisposition the bucket is free from the control of the shaft D, andcommences to descend by gravity, thus unwindin g the rope which iscoiled 'around the sleeve G, as represented, andgiving a rapid rotarymotion to the sleeve G and the hollow spindle z'. The revolution of thelatter revolves the open mouths,

t" in the atmosphere so as to eject the air from the hollow spindle t,-and its place being supplied by air drawn up through the tube J from theinterior of the well, fresh air descends into the well to supply itsplace, and thus the well is ventilated by the abstraction of somev ofthe old and the introduction of new air at each descent of the bucket,while the resistance offered by the broad mouths t" retards therevolution of the hollow spindle t', and consequently retards thedescent of the bucket, so as to avoid a too high velocity in the parts.The oscillating motion of the wheel K exerts a corresponding retardingeffect on the descent of the bucket.

The wheel K and the means by which it is operatedmay be dispensed withby making the mouths f suciently extended to act with great force uponthe air; or the vibrating part K may be relied upon to form the main orthe only resistance, if preferred, by dispensing with the mouths i', as,for example, in case they should be broken off by any accident; but Iprefer to use the whole in combination, as represented.

Each revolution ofthe hollow spindle i, by rotating the crank i2, andthus giving one complete reciprocation to the connection M, gives apartial revolution to the wheel K, first in one direction, and then inthe other.

The wheel K may be constructed roughly, and its bearings should belarge, so as to induce much rather than little friction. The surfaces itpresents to the air may also be very extended, so as to act like fans.Attention to these features increases the resistance which willinevitably result from the rapid partial revolutions of this wheel inopposite directions.

I can, obviously, connect my mechanism so v that the revolving mouths ishall receive and force down the air into the well through the pipe J,instead of exhaust it from the well through such pipe. The effect willbe substantially the same in either case.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new in wellapparatus, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows l. Themouths i on the hollow shaft i, arranged relatively to the bucket and tothe rope or its equivalent, and to the loose sleeve G, connected by aclutch to the shaft D, so as .to perform the double function of retarding the descent of the bucket and Ventilating the well, substantially inthe manner herein specified.

2. The oscillating part K, so mounted and arranged relatively to thebucket and its connection, liberated Afor descent, as described, that itshall retard the descent of the latter, substantially in the mannerherein specified.

3. The well-bucket arranged to descendantomatically, the revolvingmouths i', and the oscillating part K, and the several connectingmembers of the mechanism, combined and arranged to effect'theretardation of the descent of the bucket and the ventilation of thewell, substantially as herein specified.

CHRISTOPHER GULLMANN.

Witnesses:

D. W. SrE'rsoN, D. L. FREEBORN.

